Speculation WITHOUT Spoilers: Lalalalala! I can't hear you!

[Rumsy4]

3 minutes ago, Camera One said:

Having said that, it is *this* show, so they can make up some BS like when Hades "obliterated" his soul, Regina made an unsaid wish which transferred his essence to the Wish Realm (only possible because of the special powers of the Olympus Crystal), and he will remember if she "wakes" him up and then he can move on and/or become alive again.  

I...can actually see this happening in the Show!

[Camera One]

Sneak Peek.

DAVID: You!  You're the hooded figure who kills Emma!

BELLE: How do you know?  Half the characters on this show have worn giant hoods before.

--

Maybe the only way to "heal" Gideon is for Belle and Rumple to heal their relationship, and as they begin loving each other, Gideon will un-darken, and the season will end with Belle/Rumple's TLK which turns Gideon into a white orb, leaving an innocent baby, as the Black Fairy screams in rage.

Maybe the long sword only kills "darkness", so that's why it hurt The Evil Queen.  Getting stabbed with it will kill any parts of Dark Emma that was left inside, so Dark Debbie Downer Emma dies forever.

[Camera One]

From the Ratings thread:

Quote

If they do continue with a decreased cast, I can't imagine them losing Emma and keeping Hook because they'd end up with a case of the Downton Abbey Dilemma, in which one half of the show's core romantic couple leaves and the other stays. You pretty much have to kill the departing character because it's hard to imagine one half of the couple staying behind while the other half leaves.It would be a real bummer for her to die after everything she's gone through (in a show about hope!)

I can think of two possibilities for a final season where they can keep Hook and lose Emma.  

One is where Emma's demise is not dying, but being de-aged to a baby again.  In her heartfelt goodbye, she asks Hook to take care of Henry.  That's kind of ridiculous, but who are we kidding - it's this show.  Heck, they could have Jennifer Morrison aged back up for the series finale for a happy ending.

Another is where the final season involves a role reversal that I've suggested before.  Regina comes to Storybrooke in a red leather jacket to break a new Curse.  So there's really no need for Emma (nor Rumple nor Belle).  Hook would be in town but with amnesia.  

Ooh, third possibility, what about if Emma shape-shifts into Regina, and now Lana Parrilla plays both roles.  We would tell them apart because one wears the red jacket and the other one doesn't.  

Edited January 11, 2017 by Camera One

[Rumsy4]

Wash your mouth...er...pen...er...iPad.

Edited January 11, 2017 by Rumsy4

[Mari]

Well, it would add another layer to the scenes where Snow mothers Regina.

So, would EmmaRegina be as rude and condescending?

[Shanna Marie]

10 hours ago, Camera One said:

Another is where the final season involves a role reversal that I've suggested before.  Regina comes to Storybrooke in a red leather jacket to break a new Curse.  So there's really no need for Emma (nor Rumple nor Belle).  Hook would be in town but with amnesia.  

That would kind of work narratively, but I don't see it being something that the audience would actually buy. About the only way I could imagine Hook not doing everything he could to be with Emma would be a memory spell -- but even then, you'd kind of expect him to have a feeling something important was missing and be trying to figure out what that was.

As for Rumple, he doesn't necessarily have to die in an act of self-sacrifice to be written out. The most fitting end for Rumple would probably be for him to leave Storybrooke with Belle and a re-babied Gideon to live in the World Without Magic. After all, that was his problem with Bae, when he was unable to make that choice to stay with his son. I never felt like him choosing to be enslaved by Zelena so he could absorb Neal really counted as making up for him making that wrong choice. Him being on the verge of yet another power grab when he realizes that the only way to have his family is to give up power and be willing to head to New York (to the inexplicably still vacant apartment) or elsewhere to live a normal life with his family would be the best end for him. Well, other than dying horribly after being vanquished (which would probably be my first choice, but I'm not allowed to have nice things on this show).

[Souris]

This is my theory about how S7 will go. People will NOT like this.

My guess is that Emma will die. S7 will be Hook and a couple other characters (probably Regina, maybe Henry and Liam 2.0) traveling around realms helping people in Emma's memory. IF CaptainSwan fans are "lucky," Emma won't die but will disappear or be under some sort of spell/curse, and Hook will be searching for the Magical McGuffin that will save her while he's encountering different fairy-tale characters. If the show lasts an entire season, then maybe JMo will appear in the finale and Emma will be saved and CS will be allowed their happy ending. Or not, if the ratings support continuing the show for another season. The happy ending would be put off until the end of this iteration of Once -- IF CS fans are lucky and the show isn't canceled midseason before they get a chance to reunite.

I can hear the choruses of "That's ridiculous! They'd never kill Emma/break up CaptainSwan!" Sorry, no. Of course they would kill Emma/separate CaptainSwan. The X-Files did a season without David Duchovny. Grey's Anatomy killed Derek and is still going. Sleepy Hollow killed Abby and kept going. Castle came ::thisclose:: to killing Beckett and doing another season; only the rampant backlash convinced the network that success/making $$$ on another season was too unlikely. There is nothing about TV that is not a mercenary, heartless business. It is not about character or storyline integrity -- it is about whether networks think they can make money on a show. Whenever a long-running show's ratings are iffy for renewal, the network always makes cutting the budget a prerequisite for renewal. This generally means cutting the cast, sometimes drastically.

If they want a S7 to have a hope in hell of succeeding, they have to keep a few popular characters. Hook is one of the show's most popular characters, and based on the industry standard, Colin would be firmly contracted for a seventh season -- remember, his contract started a year after everyone else's. Regina is the other big popular character, especially among the writers. This entire season has been a setup for this S7 setup -- CaptainSwan are almost never together, the specter of Emma's death has been lurking, Hook has adventures apart from Emma.

The princess team-up adventure minus Emma

screams a trial run to show ABC how S7 would look.)

JMo has hardly filmed, and the show's MO is to drastically reduce a character's screen time before they kill them off. And remember Eddy's terse "No" about whether we'd find out about Emma's tattoo. Very telling IMO.

Am I happy about this idea? Hell no. Do I think it's likely? Sadly, hell yes.

[Shanna Marie]

11 minutes ago, Souris said:

I can hear the choruses of "That's ridiculous! They'd never kill Emma/break up CaptainSwan!" Sorry, no. Of course they would kill Emma/separate CaptainSwan. The X-Files did a season without David Duchovny. Grey's Anatomy killed Derek and is still going. Sleepy Hollow killed Abby and kept going.

I'm not sure I'd compare this to the X-Files. In that case, any romance had been entirely offscreen and very coy (I don't think they even openly acknowledged it had happened until Duchovny left), and Mulder disappearing to go underground was entirely in character for him and fit with the overall atmosphere of the show. I never watched Grey's, but the thing is, they killed Derek, not Meredith, and my impression of that show is that it was always rather soapy and melodramatic (I'd put it, to some extent, in the same category as Downton Abbey). Sleepy Hollow's ratings tanked after Abby died (they hit a .6 for the season premiere, losing a million viewers from the previous season's finale), which should serve as an object lesson. The effects of losing Emma aren't just about breaking up CaptainSwan. This is a fairy tale series that started as being about a long-lost princess learning that she was a long-lost princess. Killing that princess would be too big a downer to recover from. It's not exactly a striking narrative arc to have a hero who's always been self-sacrificial sacrifice herself. If she dies of Savioritis, then the fairy tale message is that being good is literally hazardous to your health. They couldn't even pretend that this is a feel-good series about hope after that. The most anti-Emma viewers also seem to be SwanQueeners, and Emma's death would kill that 'ship's hopes, so there wouldn't be too many fans happy about Emma's death (they might enjoy the moment if she died saving Regina, but then they wouldn't be left with anything to hope for in the aftermath).

So, yeah, her missing and everyone under a memory spell would be about the only way to make it work. Or her missing and Hook actively searching for her, with his team of Nemo and Liam, aided by Ariel, Ursula, and Poseidon helping out, and them having adventures along the way. Actually, that sounds like a pretty good show ... That would be a real reboot, getting rid of everything else and ditching the Storybrooke concept. They could shoot much of it in studio with greenscreen, with a few real settings if they needed a beach or woods, but not need to shoot in the town, so it might be less expensive. But I don't really see them going in that direction and getting rid of the Regina and Snow White stuff, as well, unless the network really does crack down after the low ratings for the Regina Show so far this season.

[Souris]

13 minutes ago, Shanna Marie said:

I'm not sure I'd compare this to the X-Files. In that case, any romance had been entirely offscreen and very coy (I don't think they even openly acknowledged it had happened until Duchovny left), and Mulder disappearing to go underground was entirely in character for him and fit with the overall atmosphere of the show.

It doesn't really have anything to do with romance IMO. X-Files was basically a two-person cast built largely on their chemistry (romantic or not) and they got rid of half that cast, so IMO it's an even more egregious example than ditching Emma. Once has a far larger cast and I suspect ABC would think nothing of getting rid of Emma, much as Grey's got rid of Derek or Downton got rid of Matthew. Both shows continued after those deaths. Even people who shipped them kept watching.

As for SQ, most seem to only really care about Regina (Emma is just her female prize), so if she's still around, the ones who are still around would be just as likely to keep watching. A&E and ABC would think CS fans would stick around as long as Hook is around. I do tend to think they'd mercenarily dangle hope for CS as a carrot to watch, so probably wouldn't out-and-out kill Emma.

It's also extremely similar to The Vampire Diaries without Nina Dobrev. Fans figured she'd show up in the finale, but it's not certain that will actually happen. The show may end with her still in a coma.

Edited January 11, 2017 by Souris

[daxx]

I thought of a way to change the show to a weekly procedural. Have the season finale shenanigans open a stable wormhole, I mean portal, that can go wherever the people entering are thinking of like any other portal. 

Whatever cast they end up with can then have a weekly mission to another realm, the missions can all be for an overarching goal but each week is more stand alone than current.

There can be some small bit of normal town living in each episode. Some domestic scene or grannies if we must.

Strangers can appear randomly through the portal to add some variation.

[superloislane]

2 hours ago, Souris said:

I can hear the choruses of "That's ridiculous! They'd never kill Emma/break up CaptainSwan!" Sorry, no. Of course they would kill Emma/separate CaptainSwan. The X-Files did a season without David Duchovny. Grey's Anatomy killed Derek and is still going. Sleepy Hollow killed Abby and kept going. Castle came ::thisclose:: to killing Beckett and doing another season;

 

 

None of these examples actually killed off the main character of the show though. Once is certainly no Grey's Anatomy and they killed off Derek in that couple - not Meredith the main character. You can kill Derek but not Meredith and I'm pretty sure Meredith isn't the most super duper popular character in that show either. In fact I'd say Derek was more popular than her. Besides that show had nothing to worry about in ratings anyway even if there was a drop. With X-Files Duchovny still appeared in half the episodes and Anderson scaled back her involvement with new characters basically taking over for both and ratings fell like nothing else so they had to cancel their plans to continue the show with those characters. Sleepy Hollow didn't kill off the main character. Castle didn't kill off Castle and ended up not killing Beckett and as far as I can tell, Matthew wasn't the main character of Downton was he?(I've never watched it) 

Besides with the way you describe it, it sounds like Hook is getting written off. Hook has had FAR less to do this season than Emma has so far. They even had him unconscious for most of an episode and he barely got any lines/screentime in others. He hasn't had any story at all. He had one episode with his brother/Nemo/Henry but his story in the present was actually about Emma and the shears. 

[Souris]

31 minutes ago, superloislane said:

None of these examples actually killed off the main character of the show though. Once is certainly no Grey's Anatomy and they killed off Derek in that couple - not Meredith the main character. You can kill Derek but not Meredith and I'm pretty sure Meredith isn't the most super duper popular character in that show either. In fact I'd say Derek was more popular than her. Besides that show had nothing to worry about in ratings anyway even if there was a drop. With X-Files Duchovny still appeared in half the episodes and Anderson scaled back her involvement with new characters basically taking over for both and ratings fell like nothing else so they had to cancel their plans to continue the show with those characters. Sleepy Hollow didn't kill off the main character. Castle didn't kill off Castle and ended up not killing Beckett and as far as I can tell, Matthew wasn't the main character of Downton was he?(I've never watched it)

I don't think A&E or ABC consider Emma the main character anymore -- she certainly hasn't been this season. As far as Sleepy Hollow & Castle go, IMO those shows had two equal main characters. Castle would have killed Beckett if they'd gotten another season. And Duchovny was not in half the episodes of the final season -- he was in only two episodes, the final two.

I think it's more likely they won't actually kill Emma but have her missing/cursed.

Edited January 11, 2017 by Souris

[orza]

I wouldn't call Emma the main character. I've never considered her that. A&E and ABC have marketed this as an ensemble show, not the Emma show. If anything, I think they consider Regina to be the main character. That was the show that A&E sold to ABC back then and the first person person they had to sell that to was Channing Dungey, VP for development. Maybe she wants to get back to some semblance of the show that she originally developed and distance herself from Paul Lee's vision of the show, which led to steadily declining ratings over the years.

If Jennifer Morrison's contract ends this year I can see the network not wanting to renew it because that would cost them even more money and that can't be justified for an ailing show. Or she wants to move on for various reasons.

[Rumsy4]

The most obvious exits from the Show are Rumple and Belle (and Gideon), given Bobby's recent remarks and the increased focus on Rumbelle this season. Rumple will either die sacrificially, or, as others have suggested, he and Belle will go to New York to raise Gideon. 

Zelena is likely a goner too. She'll take baby Robyn and go back to Oz to raise her. Because of the baby, they won't kill her off.

I can't see the Show offing Snowing. If they exit, it will be a scenario where the reduced cast goes realm/hopping, leaving Snowing in charge of Storybrooke. They can bring them back for cameos in the finale. 

No way is Hook getting killed off. 

Neither is Emma. Casual viewers won't tune back in if Emma is killed-off in the season finale. They'll assume the Show is done. If JMo signed a 7-yr contract, she won't want to break it and cause a ruckus. Despite A&E practically shelving Emma this season, it's more a side-effect of their Regina permaboner than wanting to kill off Emma. This is, at least nominally, Emma's Happy Ending. There's no Show without her. 

It's funny how none of us expect Regina to be killed off. However I imagined a scenario where the network force A&E's hand because the Regina-season has been such a disaster. Regina will sacrifice herself so the Evil Queen can be killed. Or Regina realizes that the Wish-Realm people are real, and goes to live there with wish-Robin and wish-Henry. That will be both her penance for killing Snowing and she will also have a sort of happy ending. I know that will never happen, but one can dream. ;-)

Edited January 11, 2017 by Rumsy4

[superloislane]

12 minutes ago, Souris said:

I don't think A&E or ABC consider Emma the main character anymore -- she certainly hasn't been this season. As far as Sleepy Hollow & Castle go, IMO those shows had two equal main characters. Castle would have killed Beckett if they'd gotten another season. And Duchovny was not in half the episodes of the final season -- he was in only two episodes, the final two.

I actually meant the first season Duchovny cut down on the show. Season 8?? I think.

I would say ABC very much considers Emma as the main character - there's no reason to think they don't. They even have only Jen appear at both comic cons the network wants the show at - New York and San Diego. 

A&E probably do think of her as the main character too even if they think she's a co main. Emma does have a story and it's the story that seems to be connecting both halves together while the EQ stuff seems to be done and there's a reason they have Emma and Regina stuck together a lot that doesn't have anything to do with Twitter yelling at them.

You can tell the characters they don't think are main characters very easily.

[Souris]

46 minutes ago, superloislane said:

I actually meant the first season Duchovny cut down on the show. Season 8?? I think.

Ah, OK!

Quote

I would say ABC very much considers Emma as the main character - there's no reason to think they don't. They even have only Jen appear at both comic cons the network wants the show at - New York and San Diego. A&E probably do think of her as the main character too even if they think she's a co main.

That doesn't mean they wouldn't get rid of her, though. Show producers scramble and will do just about anything to get another season.

Edited January 11, 2017 by Souris

[Rumsy4]

As for a plot reboot, they could only go in two directions, as far as I can see. 

Literally go back to Season 1. Some new villain (or hero) ends up travelling back in time and changes a key event. Or someone casts the Dark Curse AGAIN, with cursed memories and everything. So, we're back in S1 with subtle differences like Killian has a Cursed identity, etc.. Only one person (Emma or Regina or Henry) remembers, and has to find a way to break the Curse and fix everything. 

A pared-down cast goes realm-hopping (mostly green-screen, minimal on-location shoots). The Nautilus would be a good way to do that. Or they could end up in the Dark Realm (potted plants and poor lighting like Neverland), and have to defeat the Black Fairy. 

In either case, I don't see how they writers can keep using the flashback formula if Robert Carlyle is killed off. They could do flash-forwards a la LOST with the second generation playing a bigger role in the flash-forward stuff. Gideon, Henry, Violet, Snowflake, Pistachio, and a potential CS-child would have a big role in the flash-forwards, potentially paving the way for a spin-off series at the end of the mother show. 

Edited January 11, 2017 by Rumsy4

[YaddaYadda]

I think they'll redo a dark curse a la season 1 with no one having a clue except for the person that cast it. I wouldn't mind a time travel season either where the timeline has been messed up and someone from the future coming back to fix it because the timeline has been completely thrown.

[Camera One]

It is unfortunate that Grey's Anatomy has proven the core beloved couple can be broken up and the show can go on.  It does tend to be the male love interest who gets reduced screentime or is killed off... it was the case in the final season of "Desperate Housewives" and "Alias" as well.  

If the goal is to save money, they will be using the Storybrooke sets and may even do fewer location shoots.  I'm guessing CGI is expensive as well.

So it's a possibility that the reboot will be amnesiac Storybrooke with Regina in a red leather jacket coming to town (where everyone, including Hook and Emma, are).  It would make the show come "full circle".  Basically, the final season of Season 5 would be an abrupt cut to Regina in Boston blowing out her birthday candle.  A knock on the door.  Henry.  That will be the Season 6 finale..  in Season 7, the flashbacks will slowly reveal how they ended up in this predicament.  

Edited January 12, 2017 by Camera One

[Hookian]

Quote

 

JMo has hardly filmed, and the show's MO is to drastically reduce a character's screen time before they kill them off. And remember Eddy's terse "No" about whether we'd find out about Emma's tattoo. Very telling IMO.

Am I happy about this idea? Hell no. Do I think it's likely? Sadly, hell yes.

 

You literally have zero idea about how much somebody has filmed as most filming takes place in studios. JMO filmed plenty for 11 and 12.

13 and 14 didn't have much of Jennifer AND Colin both because those episodes are big episodes for Rumbelle/Gideon and OQ and 14 is the OQ finale episode for the arc. I mean if you're gonna include how little JMO has filmed include Colin as well. Cause he did not film barely anything for 13 and 14 he and JMO both had a scene with Gideon in seperate locations that we know of. That doesn't include what is filmed in studios.

At least JMO right now has filmed more then other characters like say Ginny and Josh, they're still gone. They're finally back along with JMO. JMO will be filming the rest of the time they're filming 15. Which is about 2-3 more days of filming. She filmed 2 days of 15 then took a 4-5 day vaca and now she comes back for the rest of filming for 15.
 

This is not even CLOSE to how the show treated MRJ and Sean before killing them off. Missing multiple episodes in a row. That is not happening with JMO at all. 

Also who the heck cares about a tattoo? Maybe they don't think it's a relevant thing nor does it connect to anything plot wise. It's just a simple easter egg connection to the Charming family. It does not need it's own background. It's only telling to you because you somehow think some tattoo she got is pivotal to the character. Well it's not really relevant IMO. Would I have liked the backstory on it yes, but it's not necessary.

Edited January 12, 2017 by Hookian

[Hookian]

7 hours ago, orza said:

I wouldn't call Emma the main character. I've never considered her that. A&E and ABC have marketed this as an ensemble show, not the Emma show. If anything, I think they consider Regina to be the main character. That was the show that A&E sold to ABC back then and the first person person they had to sell that to was Channing Dungey, VP for development. Maybe she wants to get back to some semblance of the show that she originally developed and distance herself from Paul Lee's vision of the show, which led to steadily declining ratings over the years.

If Jennifer Morrison's contract ends this year I can see the network not wanting to renew it because that would cost them even more money and that can't be justified for an ailing show. Or she wants to move on for various reasons.

Huh interesting. So you wouldn't call Emma the main character even though every season she has the most screentime, hmm. The only reason there's a difference this season is cause there's double the Regina. However if you just add Regina screentime and ignore EQ, Emma has the most screentime still.

Anyways Emma is absolutely the main character and the show will not continue without her.

[Shanna Marie]

I would say that the show is structured with Emma as the protagonist, both in the show as a whole and even in most of the arcs, but then the writing goes astray and the result is different. She was introduced as the character who was on a journey. If you're doing a Hero's Journey outline for this show, Emma's the one who fits it. I would also say that the story question of most of the arcs centers on Emma, even if she doesn't end up being the one to do much of anything -- season one: will Emma break the curse? 2A: will Emma and Snow get back home? 2B is such a mess that there isn't a real story question. 3A: will Emma be able to lead the Nevengers to find Henry? 3B: centered on the need to reach Emma to defeat Zelena (and in the finale, will Emma be able to get her parents to meet and fall in love?); 4A: Is Emma the missing piece for Ingrid's plan? 4B: will Rumple manage to turn Emma dark; will Emma be able to help Regina find her happy ending? 5A: Will Emma find a way to save herself from being the Dark One (and save Hook)? 5B: Will Emma manage to save Hook from the Underworld? 6: Will Emma escape the curse of the Saviors? Of course, all these arcs went off into different tangents and Emma was usually rendered useless for the main conclusion, but removing Emma from the equation would require a huge structural shift, especially since they've now set up the whole thing about how essential it is for her to be a Savior and how they'll all be totally screwed if she isn't a Savior.

[kitticup]

If I were going to do reset (but not a remake) and had to cut cost and assuming JMO doesn't want to come back,  I would probably have all the big bads escape from the hat.  They would put most of the town in some kind of suspended animation.  The few who are not impacted like Hook, Ariel, ideally Tink and others at sea would have to catch all the big bads from the land without magic in order to unfreeze everyone.  Heck Rumple could still be the last big bad we hear about but don't see until the final three episodes as he is caught.  Maybe he sets everything in motion because he loses Gideon and Belle.  Eric, Emma, Regina (especially in my version), Snowing would all be frozen, so the series finale is the happy ending when the spell curse is broken and everyone is reunited, so there is hope.  Most weeks the heroes would get closer to their goal as they capture another big bad or restore someone's faith in magic or something. We might see little kids realizing who they really are.  There still could be flashbacks where the former mains could guest star but not every week, and we could see the Disney characters react to being in the real world.   Maybe characters still in  other realms might pop up to help occasionally.  I am thinking about Elsa.

This is also will make OUAT more of a procedural as well. 

[Hookian]

I'll post this in every thread. JMO just did an interview with Thedropin.

She said that her contract is up in April but it's all up to ABC. If they get renewed for S7 she will sign a new contract. She has no interest in abandoning the show.

The whole interview and what she said is a complete contrast to Bobby's interview. 

[daxx]

@Hookian do you have a link? I'd like to read it.

[Hookian]

It's not a interview to read, but listen to.

https://twitter.com/atwillradio

[Hookian]

JMO also just posted this...

Again it's a completely different vibe then from Bobby's interview.

[AshhyOut]

That is not what JMo said. This is her exact quote.

"“It’s really complicated  because I have like a really fierce loyalty to the show. In a certain way I’m fiercely protective of the character and I feel like so many amazing things have come to my life because of it, you know, it’s like really made my life better in so many ways. And I don’t have any interest in abandoning something that is such a special part of my life but I also know I don’t have it in me to do it forever. So it’s more about a life decision kind of thing and I don’t even know how to make that life decision until I know what ABC even wants.”

 

That is classic PR speak for hedging your bets and not burning bridges while also not committing.

[daxx]

That is the quote I took away from the interview. Great interview though.

[Hookian]

16 minutes ago, AshhyOut said:

That is not what JMo said. This is her exact quote.

"“It’s really complicated  because I have like a really fierce loyalty to the show. In a certain way I’m fiercely protective of the character and I feel like so many amazing things have come to my life because of it, you know, it’s like really made my life better in so many ways. And I don’t have any interest in abandoning something that is such a special part of my life but I also know I don’t have it in me to do it forever. So it’s more about a life decision kind of thing and I don’t even know how to make that life decision until I know what ABC even wants.”

 

That is classic PR speak for hedging your bets and not burning bridges while also not committing.

“

“My contract ends in April on Once Upon a Time and, you know, I don’t know what that means. It’s like, they haven’t picked up the show officially yet, they might, they might not.”

“April is the end of the original contract, so we’re just kind of waiting now to see if the network decides to continue with the show and if they do continue with the show if they’re going to make it be something else or if they’re gonna invite people to stay. We’re just kind of in a holding pattern right now.”

“It’s really complicated  because I have like a really fierce loyalty to the show. In a certain way I’m fiercely protective of the character and I feel like so many amazing things have come to my life because of it, you know, it’s like really made my life better in so many ways. And I don’t have any interest in abandoning something that is such a special part of my life but I also know I don’t have it in me to do it forever. So it’s more about a life decision kind of thing and I don’t even know how to make that life decision until I know what ABC even wants.”

That's the whole quote. Don't omit things, thanks.

To me this sounds like she is waiting to see what they intend to do for S7 before she commits. Much like all the other actors from S1 as they're all need to renew their contracts.

It's a more positive spin then Bobby whom stated point blank he wants to go home.

Edited January 12, 2017 by Hookian

[pezgirl7]

I'm sorry @Hookian, but you also omitted some pretty big statements in your first post. I know you want to be positive, but your original post stated: "She said that her contract is up in April but it's all up to ABC. If they get renewed for S7 she will sign a new contract. She has no interest in abandoning the show." But in your last post, I read nothing that made me think that Jen will definitely sign a contract if the show gets renewed, and although she did say that she has no interest in abandoning the show, she followed it right up with a big BUT...

It sounds like she might be up for a season 7 to wrap up Emma's storyline, but probably wouldn't want to do anything beyond that. And I'm sure she wants to know where the storyline is going before deciding.

[Hookian]

3 minutes ago, pezgirl7 said:

I'm sorry @Hookian, but you also omitted some pretty big statements in your first post. I know you want to be positive, but your original post stated: "She said that her contract is up in April but it's all up to ABC. If they get renewed for S7 she will sign a new contract. She has no interest in abandoning the show." But in your last post, I read nothing that made me think that Jen will definitely sign a contract if the show gets renewed, and although she did say that she has no interest in abandoning the show, she followed it right up with a big BUT...

It sounds like she might be up for a season 7 to wrap up Emma's storyline, but probably wouldn't want to do anything beyond that. And I'm sure she wants to know where the storyline is going before deciding.

Oh absolutely. I think she definitely will be up for S7 and that's it. IMO I think that's when the show will end. I do not see this show going on for more years. S7 will be it and yep wrap up Emma's storyline.

The point is it's a more positive spin then Bobby's is what I'm getting at. She has no interest in abandoning the character but she has knkows she can't play her forever. Of course, that's why one more year is not forever.

[AshhyOut]

Quote

That's the whole quote. Don't omit things, thanks.

Actually no. What you posted are exerpts. I posted the whole quote on that particular section. Thanks.

Quote

If they get renewed for S7 she will sign a new contract. She has no interest in abandoning the show.

This is what you posted. Nowhere did the words "S7" "will sign a new contract" ever come out of her mouth in that order.

[Hookian]

5 minutes ago, AshhyOut said:

Actually no. What you posted are exerpts. I posted the whole quote on that particular section. Thanks.

This is what you posted. Nowhere did the words "S7" "will sign a new contract" ever come out of her mouth in that order.

Yet you left out some important things but sure.

It seems pretty clear she'll sign for S7 as long as that's the end of the show. She can't play Emma forever which is true.

[tri4335]

What I take from this is that she does not have a contract past this season and will have to review and negotiate a favorable contract if she so chooses. I agree that JMO has a great deal invested into this character and likes playing Emma but that does not mean shes going to sign something she deems unacceptable. It seems to be clear that ABC wants to reign in the budget a bit so I will not be surprised if some whose contracts are up won't be renewed nor would I begrudge any actor for not signing on if they don't find the next contract to be agreeable.  We may think it is fine to take lower pay, or a reduced schedule but everyone has the right to drive their own career.

[Hookian]

8 minutes ago, tri4335 said:

What I take from this is that she does not have a contract past this season and will have to review and negotiate a favorable contract if she so chooses. I agree that JMO has a great deal invested into this character and likes playing Emma but that does not mean shes going to sign something she deems unacceptable. It seems to be clear that ABC wants to reign in the budget a bit so I will not be surprised if some whose contracts are up won't be renewed nor would I begrudge any actor for not signing on if they don't find the next contract to be agreeable.  We may think it is fine to take lower pay, or a reduced schedule but everyone has the right to drive their own career.

I think JMO is somebody they're definitely willing to keep over others like Bobby. Bobby leaving the show, and by default Emilie frees up JMO to get more money. Who knows what Josh, Ginny, or even Jared will decide as well. Ginny and Josh might request to just be moved to guest stars and Jared may want off the show cause he wants to be a normal teen.

Lana is the only one that is thirsty and has nothing going for her. Plus she signed a new contract in the back half of S1, so she's good probably for S7.

Out of all the cast impending contract renewals JMO is probably the one they would drop the most cash on to stay because she is the glue that holds this show together.

Edited January 12, 2017 by Hookian

[Rumsy4]

If they give Emma another crap storyline for S7, JMo may well think twice before committing. It's obvious that JMo cares more about Emma than the writers do, and I'm sensing a hint of practicality in JMo response. At the end of the day, sentimentality is not going to be the deciding factor in her decision-making.

I'm hoping that A&E can come up with a pitch that will convince abc to give them S7, and also be satisfying to the actors they want to keep on. I also hope S7 will be pitched as the final season. Even A&E can't hope to keep the Show going beyond that, or tie up some of the main cast for a few more years. One year gives them adequate time to wrap up the Show, while giving the actors time to seek-out other opportunities.

[Souris]

23 minutes ago, tri4335 said:

What I take from this is that she does not have a contract past this season and will have to review and negotiate a favorable contract if she so chooses. I agree that JMO has a great deal invested into this character and likes playing Emma but that does not mean shes going to sign something she deems unacceptable. It seems to be clear that ABC wants to reign in the budget a bit so I will not be surprised if some whose contracts are up won't be renewed nor would I begrudge any actor for not signing on if they don't find the next contract to be agreeable.  We may think it is fine to take lower pay, or a reduced schedule but everyone has the right to drive their own career.

That's exactly it. Nothing is signed and it's all totally up in the air at this point. Will ABC want a S7? What will they be willing to pay for it? Whose salaries will they need to drop to make it financially viable? What do A&E have planned? Will it be something the actors are interested in taking part in? There is still a ton of negotiating to do and anything could happen. There will clearly have to be a cut in budget to make S7 financially viable for ABC at its current low ratings. Characters and their actor salaries will be dropped. If JMo wants X amount of money or X number of days off written into her contract, ABC may decide it's not worth it to them and not re-sign her. As I've said before, this is 100% a business and financial decision.

It did confirm my instincts that JMo's contract ends this season, because she's always talked about the show in terms of lasting six seasons.

[Hookian]

24 minutes ago, Rumsy4 said:

If they give Emma another crap storyline for S7, JMo may well think twice before committing. It's obvious that JMo cares more about Emma than the writers do, and I'm sensing a hint of practicality in JMo response. At the end of the day, sentimentality is not going to be the deciding factor in her decision-making.

I'm hoping that A&E can come up with a pitch that will convince abc to give them S7, and also be satisfying to the actors they want to keep on. I also hope S7 will be pitched as the final season. Even A&E can't hope to keep the Show going beyond that, or tie up some of the main cast for a few more years. One year gives them adequate time to wrap up the Show, while giving the actors time to seek-out other opportunities.

I think that's what it comes down too. If ABC tells them S7 is it, then JMO would not worry about having to play Emma forever. I understand her completely when she said she can't play her forever. If they give her what she wants for one more season she'll be up for it I'm sure.

If it's for way more then it might get complicated but that goes for all the regulars from S1 not just JMO.

[RadioGirl27]

42 minutes ago, Rumsy4 said:

If they give Emma another crap storyline for S7, JMo may well think twice before committing. It's obvious that JMo cares more about Emma than the writers do, and I'm sensing a hint of practicality in JMo response. At the end of the day, sentimentality is not going to be the deciding factor in her decision-making.

Yeah, I think she will be up S7, but only if it's her last season and if Emma has a good storyline. I just hope that, if there is another season, both Killian and Emma are there. I want them to be happy. I don't want to see Killian suffering or, worse, romanticaly paired with Regina (we know A&E love to give her everything Emma has).

43 minutes ago, Rumsy4 said:

I'm hoping that A&E can come up with a pitch that will convince abc to give them S7, and also be satisfying to the actors they want to keep on. I also hope S7 will be pitched as the final season. Even A&E can't hope to keep the Show going beyond that, or tie up some of the main cast for a few more years. One year gives them adequate time to wrap up the Show, while giving the actors time to seek-out other opportunities.

Yeah, I want them to give time to the actors time to find new jobs. If they tell them in April, it's to late for next year pilots.

[Shanna Marie]

This show is both ridiculously easy and extremely difficult to reboot, depending on the result they want.

It would be nearly impossible to bring in a lot of new viewers at this point because the situation is so complicated. You'd have to explain why fairy tale characters are living in a modern American small town, why Snow White is best buds with the Evil Queen, how the Evil Queen is a good guy now, how Captain Hook is a romantic leading man and a hero now, how Snow White's daughter is her age, and how both Snow White's daughter and the Evil Queen are mothers to their kid. Someone who watched from the beginning and then dropped out in 2B would probably be able to pick up again easily, since nothing much that's happened since then has had any real consequences, but there's no way they'll get a lot of new people at this point, unless they reboot it to the point it's not even the same show anymore (in which case they risk losing the existing viewers).

On the other hand, if what they want is to hang onto existing viewers and bring back some that they bled along the way, all they really have to do is stop the doom and gloom and give a good, solid storyline. Bring in an iconic villain (Maleficent would have been ideal if they hadn't wasted her in the 4B mess) and characters associated with that story. Have the plot be entirely about the good guys teaming up to defeat that villain. Have the threat be a more general save the town/kingdom thing rather than a threat aimed at a specific person. Don't have Emma under a black cloud and worried about losing her magic, having to give up her magic, fighting darkness, sacrificing someone she loves, or sacrificing herself. Have some swashbuckling adventure, a dash of romance, some "OMG, this fairy tale is real, too?" culture clash humor from Emma, some "your world's ways are strange" culture clash humor from Hook and any guest stars who don't have fake memory downloads, and generally a sense of fun and whimsy. No long speeches about the nature of villains and heroes or about fate. With buzz from the guest villain/storyline and maybe some positive word of mouth that the show is fun again, they might be able to bring the ratings up a bit by bringing back former viewers who gave up when the show got too convoluted or too depressing.

[Souris]

Amen, Shanna Marie! But I think you have a far better grasp of what makes a narrative work than A&E.

I do imagine if A&E/ABC concoct S7 as a Regina-focused season, JMo will say "Peace out!"

[Hookian]

4 hours ago, Souris said:

y "Peace out!"

I'm pretty sure a lot of the fandom including myself will say that.

[Camera One]

8 hours ago, Shanna Marie said:

On the other hand, if what they want is to hang onto existing viewers and bring back some that they bled along the way, all they really have to do is stop the doom and gloom and give a good, solid storyline. 

And they could have done that in 6B.  But they chose not to.  So instead of something fresh, looking forward, we have to look backwards with a return of Robin.

That's what Aladdin could have been, but they tried to throw that in the midst the rest of the crap and it just became another bag of trash.  

Edited January 13, 2017 by Camera One

[Rumsy4]

22 minutes ago, Camera One said:

So instead of something fresh, looking forward, we have to look backwards with a return of Robin.

I donno why, but Robin's return is now irritating the heck out of me. I was fine with it when I first found out. I think it's becasue there are already so many crap storylines that haven't wrapped up yet (wish realm, Rumbelle drama, savior-shakes, etc.). Now we will be stuck with boring OQ angst on top of it (as I said in the spoiler thread, Regina will have lost and found Robin 6 times by the end of this arc).

Edited January 13, 2017 by Rumsy4

[KingOfHearts]

If the Dark Curse and TLKs had not been watered down, I would be happy to see another Curse for the final season. Everyone, including Regina, Emma, Hook, Henry and Zelena, would have cursed personalities. Except, this curse wouldn't be meant to take away happy endings - it would be meant to give them. Everyone's lives in Storybrooke would be happy and idealistic. David and Mary Margaret would be happily married with a kid, Regina Mills and Emma would have mended their differences and shared joint custody of Henry, etc. But then something would begin to wake one of the characters up, and then it's a question of whether they should stay happy or know the truth.  The curse would have been cast because something tragic happened that traumatized the characters. Maybe even Regina would cast it to contrast with her original intentions in S1.

The show has already dealt with these themes before, in curses, the Wish Realm, and Bizarro World. It's definitely a redux of the flash sideways in Lost, but I figured that would be right up the writers' alley. I don't think this would actually happen, just that if done correctly, would have bookended the series quite nicely.

Edited January 13, 2017 by KingOfHearts

[KAOS Agent]

There was a fic that offered a canon divergence in 3B where Emma sacrificed her happy ending so that Pan's curse would fail and instead everyone got their happy ending. Hook had his hand back and was sailing on the Jolly Roger with Milah, Regina was happy with Robin, Snow & David were happy, Henry was with Regina, etc. They all lost their memories of Emma and Storybrooke. It was really angsty on Emma's side because she returned to her pre-Storybrooke life and also was drinking a lot and hooking up with random guys to fill the holesin her life, but it was pretty realistic. Ultimately, Hook realized that something was off and somehow got his memory back and then started working with Henry to change things and get back to Emma. I think something like this could work for a half season and there is the question of whether to wake everyone up. Obviously, in this scenario Emma was suffering horribly, so it's less of a question, but Milah and Graham were alive so there was a dilemma.

[RadioGirl27]

Do you have a link to that fic? I have a long train triple ahead of me. ?

[Camera One]

This is a half wish/half spec (hopefully that eliminates the cost of making a wish).

I had been hoping that if they had an official final season, they would finally revisit some of the stories from Season 1 one last time... we would get one final centric with Hansel & Gretel, and Grumpy/Nova, and Gepetto/Jiminy/Pinocchio, and Granny/Red, and Cinderella, and Blue, etc.   And then other episodes would put a bow on other major supporting characters from later seasons, such as an episode with Mulan, and an episode with Frozen, and an episode with Aurora/Philip/Maleficent, an episode to wrap up the Lost Souls from 5B, etc.

I had been expecting/hoping a sort of flashsideways/flashwishworld/flashwhat-if for the final season.  For example, if Gepetto went to a wish world, he would see himself growing up with his parents, Red might see herself having a happy ending with Peter, Snow would see herself growing up with Leopold and Eva, Emma would see herself growing up in a non-Cursed world (hey, look how satisfying that turned out to be!), etc.

Now, in reality, of course, what we would get in a final season, is basically one last hurrah with every villain... an episode (or five) with Cora, an episode with Cruella, an episode with Maleficent/Lily, an episode with Peter Pan, etc and then the rest of the episodes with Regina and Rumple.

Edited January 15, 2017 by Camera One

[kingshearte]

On 1/13/2017 at 7:11 PM, KAOS Agent said:

There was a fic that offered a canon divergence in 3B where Emma sacrificed her happy ending so that Pan's curse would fail and instead everyone got their happy ending. Hook had his hand back and was sailing on the Jolly Roger with Milah, Regina was happy with Robin, Snow & David were happy, Henry was with Regina, etc. They all lost their memories of Emma and Storybrooke. It was really angsty on Emma's side because she returned to her pre-Storybrooke life and also was drinking a lot and hooking up with random guys to fill the holesin her life, but it was pretty realistic. Ultimately, Hook realized that something was off and somehow got his memory back and then started working with Henry to change things and get back to Emma. I think something like this could work for a half season and there is the question of whether to wake everyone up. Obviously, in this scenario Emma was suffering horribly, so it's less of a question, but Milah and Graham were alive so there was a dilemma.

I don't even read fanfic generally, but this one sounds intriguing, so I would also love a link if you've got one. :)